Gold-washing apparatus



J. H. FELLOWS.

GOLD WASHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. I917.

Pamntedsept. 23, 1919.

a 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

. THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co WASHINGTON. n. c. A

J. H. FELLOWS.

cou) WASHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED DEC. I0. 19!].

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Sept. 23; 1919.

. UNITED STATES PATENT omnon.

JOHN H. FELLOWS, OF ENID, OKLAHOMA.

GOLD-WASHING Arrmrus.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

Application filed December 10, 1917. Serial No. 206,480.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. FELLOWS, a citizen of the .United States, residin at Enid, in the county of Garfield and tate of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gold-Washing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to gold washing apparatus, and particularly to an improvement in my former Letters Patent No. 637,861 granted November 28, 1899. In said former patent I have shown and described a gold washing apparatus which, in general, comprised a main casing having a bottom, sides and an end, thebottom being turned upwardly at one end to form an upright transverse partition, a longitudinal perforated partition detachably mounted in the casing and extending at one end beyond the upright partition with gold retaining devices connected with the partition and a bottom of the main casing which comprised rifles and receptacles having deflectors, a supplemental casing connected with and adapted to receive auriferous water from the bottom of the casing and a supplemental casing connected with the longitudinal partition at a point thereof in the portion which extends beyond the upright partition and adapted to receive auriferous water therefrom.

I now propose to improve on the above construction shown and described by providing a more eflicient, practical manner of collecting the gold.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown the improvements as applied to that class of apparatus illustrated in my former patent.

In said drawin y Figure 1 is a p an view of the main casing of the apparatus; 7

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section showing the supplemental casings;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the main casing, and

Fi s. 4, 5 and 6 are vertical sections on the lines 4-4; 55; and 66 respectively of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 represents the oblong main casing similar to the one illustrated in my former patent having an end piece 2 and side pieces 3. The end opposite the end piece is open and in whlch is secured a transverse brace 4:, and extend ing longitudinally of the inner surface of each of the sides 3 is a cleat 5', which divides the casing into upper and lower portions, the lower portion being closed at both ends, as shown at 2 and 6. a

A rifle frame 7 is provided with side bars and transverse rifles 8 are mounted in the casing bottom and extends from the end piece 2 approximately to the end of the bottom portion of the main casing, which terminates in the upwardly directed trans- Verse partition 6. This is all fully shown and described in my former patent, but, instead of the shallow downwardly curved receptacles, illustrated in that patent, I now propose to provide a more effective means for carrying out the purpose of these receptacles. With this end in view, the improvement in the present instance preferably comprises a receptacle 9 having staggeredly arranged sides providing a restricted bottom portion 10 and a comparatively wide upper portion 11. This bottom 10 is filled with quicksilver. Located in the upper portion 11 is a longitudinal bafle 12 which overlies the restrictive bottom portion 10 and prevents short circuiting of the water which contains the gold passing through the receptacle, that is to say, it'prevents the fluid from forming an eddy in the receptacle in passing out the same end of the receptacle that it enters. y

13 represents a deflector which is positioned in the path of the rifle and directs the fluid into the receptacle. As many of these receptacles may be employed in the length of the rifle as is desired; however, I have shown an example of two.

Mounted on the cleats 5 is a longitudina I partition 14 which is provided upon its face with transverse rifle bars 15. Secured to the lower surface of this partition are the heretofore mentioned deflectors 13.

The partition 14 is cut away at points and provided with screens 16 through which the finer particles of gold and other substances pass. Disposed in the casing between the receptacles 9 is a shaft 17 connected to which is a regulator blade 18 which may be turned vertically by a crank 19, see Fig. 3, connected with the shaft 17, and may be held in adjusted position by a lock plate 20 secured to one of the casing sides. The bottom of the casing, as well as the partition 14 is provided with an opening 21 in which is secured a ube through which passes a sh ft 23, provided with a regulator blade 24, which may be operated by means of a suitable crank.

Connected to each, of the tubes 22 ,is a supplemental casing 25. Connected with and surrounding this central tubular portion is a casing member -26, provided with a closed top 27 which slants from the central portion to the perimeter thereof, the bottomof which is open. Surrounding this easing member-26 vis-a casing 28 open at the top, the bottom of which extends beneath theilower edges .of the member 26.. The members 28 and 26 are preferably detachably connected. Connected with and pro jecting through the bottom of the member 2-8: is a'bub11lal casing member 29 having a 7 closed bottom providing a quicksilver receptacle and open at the top Eand extending upwardly between the tubular members 25 and 2,6 and terminating below the top 27 of the zlnemberflfi. Longitudinal baflle or re tandingrlevices 30 are provided in the bottom of the tubular member 29. Allof the above described construction is substantially the isameesillustrated in my former patent, with .the exception .of the construction of the .bottom portion of the tubular member 29.- Inthe present instance,the'bottom portion of this tubular member 29 is adapted to contain quick silver and the longitudinal baffles :alte employed in place of the retarding deviices hown in my former patent.

The operation ofthe appara s is as fellows: l place quicksilver in the restricted bottom portion 10 of the receptacles 9, and in rthejtubular members'29, and a goldbearing; stream orother water containing dirt, sand and gold particles from which the finelyd-ivided gold is to be separated, is directed upon the partition 14E at the end thereof, adjacent the end piece v2, which is preferably raised -so that the partition let and 1 casing bottom shall be inclined and the water flow toward the opposite ends thereof. The water falls partially upon the screen 16 and partially upon the partition 1 and pa thereof passes through screen 16 and down 'upOn the casing'bottom and along the latter, flowing across riflles 15 :to

the receptacles Band into and through the 7 tube 22 connected with the lower partition, andantot-he supplemental casmg 25, through whiehit passes in a course indicated by the arrows, and finally discharges above the casing member. That part of the water it over the riflies 15 to the screen 16, which "is located midway the length of this partition, through which a portion of it passes and joins the water which flows along the lower partition, and that portion of the water which flows along the partition 1 1 and crosses the last-named screen passes on to the creen in the opening 21 of 4th? tube 22 and through it ,into the supplemental casing communicating therewith, and passes therethrough as inclicated by the arrows, finally discharging above the top of the casing. The regulator blades 18 may be adjusted to regulate the flowandvolume of water passing-along the casing bottom, d the regulator blarlies 2e may be adjusted :to regulate the how and volume of water passin through the tubes 22 into the .supplementzil casings connected therewith. .The s reen 216, as well the screen overlying the opening 21in the tube 2 2,will separate the ,larger particles of gold and these will be collected by the rifiles 1.5., the dirt and othe u s nces passing on with thewater. The riflies in the lower partition will catch and hold the larger particles of gold which pass .through thescreens above mentioned, and the quicksilver in the bottom portion 10 .of the ,receptacle 59 will attract and retain the finer particles of the gold. The water enteringthe supplemental casings connected with the lllllbBS 22 will contain only the finest particles of gold,;and these in thetortuousicourse of the waterwill collectin the quicksilver whichlies in the bot om of thes casin s.

In a gold washing apparatus, a receptacle having uppe and lowerrsectiona-saicl upper section being of reater area than said lower section, a bit e ziIl the upper section overlying the lower section, a bOX-S'lIZLPBd deflector overlying the upper section adapted to directgthe water containing gold to said upper section, said baffle adaptedtoca-use said water to traverse said lower sectionand pass out of the receptacle atanioppositeend m that which it en ers- The foregoing specification'signed at QBessie, Okla, this24th day of Sep, 191-7.

JDI-INH. I FELLOWS.

copies 0! this patentmayybeiobtained for gfivel cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof Patents, Wash ng 1 41- which strikes the partition 14 flows along LOO 

